80 Proof
by Knappster
Summary: Aubrey needs a little liquid courage to do the one thing she has left to do before she leaves Barden. Staubrey. Prompt by Rivrop.
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: Posting the prompt would spoil the whole story so just read. Thanks to Rivrop for sending it to me!**

* * *

The key slid into the lock and Aubrey took a deep breath before opening it. She'd been waiting to hear back from graduate admissions at Columbia, and everytime she opened the mailbox and found it empty or found a takeout menu, her stomach dropped. She opened the mailbox and found a large white, padded envelope. She took it out and walked up to her apartment without opening it. She absentmindedly closed the door, still staring at the envelope in her hand. She ran her finger over the embossed crown, still standing just inside her door.

The door opened and hit her in the back, making her drop the envelope and move to the side. "What the- oh, sorry, Bree."

Chloe entered the apartment carrying bags full of liquor bottles. She put them down on the floor next to the door and looked at the blonde. "Are you okay? Why are you just standing in front of the door?"

Aubrey waved the envelope next to her face. Chloe gasped and covered her mouth with her hands. "Is that?" Aubrey nodded. "What does it say?"

"I don't know, I haven't opened it." Aubrey walked to the living room and sat on the couch, placing the envelope in front of her on the coffee table.

Chloe closed the door and jumped over the liquor bottles, chasing after Aubrey. "Well, what are you waiting for?"

"I'm nervous."

Chloe sat next to her and examined the envelope. "It looks too thick to just be a rejection letter."

"I know." Aubrey bit her lip. She knew it wasn't a rejection letter from the moment she saw it inside her mailbox, but actually opening it would change her life.

"Then what's stopping you?"

Aubrey sighed. "The moment I open that, it becomes real, and I don't know if I'm ready for that. Barden, the Bellas, it's been my life for the last four years. This -" She picked the envelope up. "- has a whole lot of unknowns."

"I know how scary unknowns can be, but you just have to trust everything's going to be okay."

Aubrey arched an eyebrow at her. "Coming from the girl who flunked Russian Lit on purpose to stay in college a year longer, that's very reassuring, Chlo."

"That's different, you already know what you want to do, you have a path, you just have to take the first step." She pat Aubrey's knee a couple of times and stood up. "I'm gonna go get the rest of the alcohol from the car, that envelope better be open by the time I get back."

Aubrey watched her go and then focused back on the envelope. Chloe was right, she was only delaying the inevitable. The sooner she got it over with, the sooner she could start enjoying her last days at Barden.

Aubrey tore open the envelope and took out her acceptance letter. She read it smiling and looked through the booklets inside. She took the envelope and its contents to her room and left them on top of her desk.

She was weeks short of graduating with honors, they had just won nationals, she had nothing left to do except have fun, and she already knew what she wanted to do first. Or rather who she wanted to do.

Stacie had been flirting with her ever since she got into the Bellas, and even though Aubrey had never encouraged her, Stacie had persisted. At first it was just a smile or wink, especially after groping herself during rehearsal, and the occasional suggestive comment directed at her. But as the year went on, Stacie started to get more serious. She'd stay after rehearsal, chatting up the blonde. She'd even asked her out a couple of times but Aubrey always said no, claiming it wouldn't be good for the team if she started hanging out with her. Aubrey knew Stacie didn't want to just hang out, she knew the younger girl's reputation, and Aubrey would be lying if she said she hadn't thought about it more than once, but she had her own reputation to uphold. Now, with her leaving, it didn't matter. She could give into Stacie's advances and then be on her merry little way to New York with no regrets.

She heard Chloe coming back in and went out into the kitchen. She kept pulling bottle after bottle out of the bags and lining them up on the counter. "Chloe, there's more than one bottle per person here, no one's going to make it to the club if we're drinking this much."

"We don't have to drink it all, I just didn't want to run out." Chloe shrugged and pulled out some plastic cups.

"We could have a party every night for a week and we wouldn't run out." She turned and walked out of the kitchen. "I'm gonna shower and get ready before the girls start arriving."

Aubrey smiled to herself. She could get a few drinks in before the girls arrived, get enough courage to flirt back, maybe more. If it all went wrong she could always blame it on the booze.

* * *

Aubrey heard the doorbell and went into the kitchen while Chloe hurried to open it. She poured herself a shot of vodka and threw it back as she heard Fat Amy's voice drifting in from the livingroom. As she approached the kitchen door, Chloe came in holding a couple more bottles. "Fat Amy and CR brought them, they didn't know if we were gonna have enough."

"We could open our own liquor store." Aubrey stepped out into the living room and said hi to the girls. Stacie wasn't there yet. She felt her nerves rising up in her stomach at the prospect of seeing the brunette and went back into the kitchen for another shot. "Chlo, do you need help with the drinks?"

Chloe shook her head. "Just hold the door for me?"

Chloe walked past her carrying a tray. Aubrey went inside the kitchen and poured herself another shot as she heard the doorbell again. She looked at the shot glass in her hand. She wasn't sure about her plan anymore, what if Stacie rejected her? She heard Fat Amy yelling hi at the newcomers. She heard CR whistle and Stacie's voice thanking her, Aubrey rolled her eyes thinking the brunette had probably even turned and posed for them. She threw the shot back and went back outside.

Aubrey could feel her heart start beating faster the moment she saw Stacie. She was wearing a short black dress with a lacy design that started above her breasts and continued up the thick straps and down her back. Stacie spotted her from across the room. She gave her a small smile and made her way towards her.

Stacie stopped a couple of steps before reaching her, a step closer and she would have had trouble staying focused. Aubrey looked stunning in a tight black skirt and a dark green halter top shirt that left most of her back exposed. "Hey."

Aubrey smiled. She didn't know if it was the fact that Stacie was finally here, or the two shots of vodka, but she felt a little woozy. "Hey."

Chloe handed Stacie a drink and looked at Aubrey's empty hands. "Bree, you're not drinking? I'll get you a drink."

Before Aubrey could respond, Chloe had already left. Aubrey looked at Stacie's drink and put her hand over the brunette's on the cup. "What are you drinking?"

Stacie shucked in a breath when she felt Aubrey's index finger tracing circles over the back of her hand. "I'm not sure, I told Chloe I'd have whatever people were having." Stacie's voice came out shaky.

Chloe came back and Aubrey turned, dropping Stacie's hand to grab the offered drink. She took a small sip and looked at Stacie over her cup. "We should join them."

Aubrey motioned with her head to the rest of the girls sitting around her living room. Chloe handed out the last of the drinks she'd poured and sat on the recliner with Beca. Aubrey took Stacie's hand and pulled her to the sofa, sitting down on one side and pulling Stacie down next to her. Chloe and Fat Amy exchanged a look but didn't say anything.

Stacie tried to join a conversation but she was having a hard time focusing with Aubrey's hand still on hers. Stacie's hand was resting on her leg with her palm up and Aubrey's fingers were curled up on her palm; the blonde would occasionally move her fingers, her nails scratching lightly over her skin, sometimes making it all the way down to her wrist and back up, running her fingers in between Stacie's. She didn't understand what was happening, she had spent the best part of a year trying to seduce Aubrey and not once had she given her any indication that she was interested until now.

Stacie felt Aubrey shift next to her. She felt the blonde's hand on her shoulder, one of her fingers tracing light circles there. "Stace, would you refill my drink?"

Stacie stood up abruptly and took her cup. "Of course, anyone else need a refill?"

A lot of the girls nodded so Chloe offered to help her and took the tray with them to the kitchen. Stacie started pouring the drinks while Chloe ordered the filled cups on the tray. "Is something going on with Aubrey?"

"What do you mean?" Chloe smiled innocently. She didn't know what Aubrey's plan was but she had seen the way she looked at Stacie during rehearsals and she knew she had a thing for the tall brunette.

"I don't know, she seems different today. Did something happen?"

Chloe shrugged. "I guess she's just happy. She doesn't have anything to stress about anymore, she's having fun." Chloe bumped her shoulder. "You should do the same."

Chloe grabbed the tray and Stacie hurried to hold the door for her. She grabbed Aubrey's drink and sat next to her, handing the cup to the blonde who thanked her with a smile that made Stacie melt. She was about to say something when she saw Aubrey swaying a little bit. "Bree, how much have you had to drink?"

Aubrey looked up thoughtfully. "Well this, and the other one, and the shots?" She smiled and put her hand on Stacie's thigh, moving to whisper in her ear. "Have I ever told you how much I love your eyes?"

Stacie's stomach flipped. She wanted nothing more than to turn around and kiss Aubrey but she couldn't. The fact that there were eight other girls there wasn't even important, she didn't care what they thought, but she wanted Aubrey sober, not like this. She didn't want to risk her not remembering or brushing it off as a drunken hookup, Stacie wanted more. So she just closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

Her eyes snapped open when she felt Aubrey's fingers brushing her hair behind her ear and moving closer, she felt Aubrey's breath on her and a shiver ran down her spine. Aubrey took a strand of Stacie's hair and twirled it on her finger. Her other hand was still on Stacie's thigh, her thumb brushing over the hem of her dress. "I really love your lips too. I think about them a lot."

"Oh god." Stacie stood up. "I need to… bathroom?"

Chloe pointed to the first door down the hall and Stacie hurried inside, leaning on the closed door. "Shit, shit, shit, shit."

She needed to stay in control and not give in to Aubrey's advances. Maybe after tonight she'd agree to go on a date with her, a real date, no alcohol involved. She just had to hold back for tonight. She took a another deep breath, letting the air out slowly through her mouth. There was a knock on the door. "Stace, we're leaving for the club in a bit. Is everything okay?"

"Yes, I'll be right out. Thanks, Chlo!" She moved to the sink to wash her hands to give herself more time to collect herself. She heard another knock on the door and she rolled her eyes. "I'm going!"

She turned to grab the towel and heard the door open. She was about to turn around and tell whoever was being so impatient to fuck off when she felt a pair of hands on her hips. She heard Aubrey hum appreciatively. "You look really hot tonight."

Stacie turned around and put her hands on Aubrey's waist, keeping her at a safe distance. "Aubrey, you need to stop this."

Aubrey pouted. "You don't want me?"

"No, no, of course I want you." Stacie hadn't noticed she was moving forward until Aubrey's back hit the door. "I don't think I've ever wanted anything so much."

Aubrey's hands moved up her arms and Stacie started unconsciously moving her thumbs up and down Aubrey's ribs. "Then have me."

Stacie whimpered and let go of Aubrey, grabbing the doorknob behind her and opening the door. "We better go catch up."


	2. Chapter 2

Stacie walked out into the living room and found it empty. She heard a noise behind her and saw Chloe coming out of what Stacie figured was her bedroom. "Everyone else left already, we should go. Where's Bree?"

"Here!" Aubrey stumbled past Chloe and crashed into Stacie.

Stacie wrapped an arm around her waist to keep her upright. "Bree, are you sure you wanna go? You can barely stand up."

"I wanna go! I'm fine." She moved away from Stacie to prove she could stand up by herself but Stacie kept her arm around her just in case.

Stacie looked at Chloe who just shrugged and walked to the door. Stacie sighed. "Okay, but if you feel sick, let me know and I'll bring you home."

Aubrey giggled and leaned on her again. "Oh you're bringing me home later even if I don't feel sick."

Stacie rolled her eyes and followed Chloe outside. Their cab was already waiting with Chloe sitting in the front. Stacie glared at her and Chloe smirked. Stacie got into the car and moved until she was on the other side, Aubrey went in behind her and sat as close as she could. Stacie looked out the window trying to ignore the blonde.

"Stace," She felt Aubrey's fingers twirling her hair. "I really love your hair."

Aubrey's hand moved up and Stacie felt Aubrey's nails scratching her scalp lightly before moving down. Stacie closed her eyes and leaned closer to Aubrey's hand. "Do you like that?"

Aubrey repeated the motion, only this time her fingers ended their path on her neck, her index finger moving up and down the back. "I also love your neck. Whenever I sat behind you on the Bellas' bus, all I could think about was kissing it."

Stacie's resolve was starting to crumble. She looked at Chloe for help but she was deep in conversation with the driver, oblivious to her current struggle. "Aubrey, please."

Aubrey moved closer and placed her hand on Stacie's thigh and whispering in her ear. "Please what? Please kiss you?" She ran her nose down Stacie's ear and kissed the spot just below it. Aubrey's fingers moved over the soft skin of her thigh and Stacie had to repeat over and over in her head that Aubrey was drunk and she shouldn't take advantage of this. She felt Aubrey's lips on her neck again, this time pressing harder and the blonde's tongue poking out slightly.

Stacie grabbed Aubrey's wrist with one hand and her shoulder with the other one and pushed her back against the seat. "Aubrey, please stop or I'm going to forget why I shouldn't do this." Stacie was breathing hard and looking straight into Aubrey's eyes. Her pupils were dilated and her face was flushed, but Stacie could still see the haze from the alcohol clouding her usually bright gaze. "Please."

Aubrey was about to protest when the car stopped and Chloe opened the door. "We're here!"

Stacie got out of the car and was thankful for the cold air that hit her face. She held the door open for Aubrey and held her hand out for her. The blonde took the offered hand but seemed a little bit more steady on her feet than when they left her apartment. Stacie let go of Aubrey and moved her hand to the small of the older girl's back, ready to move closer in case she stumbled again.

Stacie saw Fat Amy waving them over and she steered Aubrey to the entrance. Apparently the Australian girl was friends with the bouncer and they were allowed inside the club immediately. They followed Amy to their table and Stacie was about to let Aubrey into the booth first when Chloe pulled the blonde with her to the bathroom. Stacie shrugged and sat, sliding over next to CR and Amy following after her.

CR smirked at Stacie. "What's up with you tonight? Blondie's been all over you and you've barely looked at her. You've been trying to tap that all year."

"Yeah, Stace, it's like you traded bodies and you're the uptight one and she's the slutty one." Fat Amy bumped Stacie's shoulder.

Stacie crossed her arms on the table and rested her forehead on them. "She's really drunk, I don't want to take advantage of her."

"Dude, she wouldn't throw herself at you like that if she didn't want it sober too. She's not doing it with everyone, it's just you."

Stacie looked up at CR and then at Amy. "Yeah, loosen up, Jugs."

Stacie shook her head. "I don't know, what if she regrets it tomorrow?"

CR shrugged. "You won't know unless you do something."

Stacie looked up at them thoughtfully but she was distracted by the sound of Chloe's voice whooping. She was standing on the other side of their table with Aubrey and a line of shots in front of them "Oh god, no."

She pushed Amy so she could get out and made her way to them as fast as she could. She got to Aubrey as she was finishing the first of the shots. "What the hell, Chloe!"

She grabbed Aubrey's waist and turned her away from the rest of the shots. "Aubrey, you need to stop drinking."

"Why?" Aubrey stumbled and wrapped her arms around Stacie's neck, Stacie moved her other hand to her back, holding her against her body to keep her steady.

"Because, you're already wasted." Stacie moved her hands up and down Aubrey's bare back. "I don't want you to feel sick."

Aubrey's fingers scratched the back of Stacie's neck softly. "Okay, I won't drink anymore if you dance with me."

Stacie chuckled. "You can barely stand, I don't understand how you expect to dance."

Aubrey hummed thoughtfully, her alcohol-filled brain trying to figure it out. After a bit her eyes lit up and she smiled. "You're just gonna have to stay really close, come on."

She let go of Stacie's neck and grabbed her hand, pulling her unsteadily to the dancefloor. When she got to a less crowded spot she placed Stacie's hands on her hips and started dancing. "Don't let go."

Stacie smiled and nodded. Aubrey turned around and pressed her back against Stacie, her arms moving up and burying themselves in Stacie's hair. Stacie adjusted her grip and leaned down, nuzzling Aubrey's neck and earning an approving groan from her. She placed a soft kiss on her neck but moved back when the blonde turned her head to kiss her.

Aubrey frowned and turned to face Stacie still dancing. "Why won't you let me kiss you?"

"Because I want you to remember our first kiss." Aubrey pouted. Stacie traced her lower lip with her thumb. "I promise it'll be worth the wait."

"Fine." Aubrey turned around and continued to dance.

Stacie decided to at least enjoy dancing with the blonde. Maybe it wasn't as innocent as it could be, but she had held back enough. She pressed herself close to Aubrey and ran her hands down her sides to her hips, pulling her closer. Aubrey leaned back and Stacie moved one of her hands to her stomach, her hand sliding over the soft fabric of Aubrey's shirt as they moved with the music.

Aubrey tossed her hair to the side and Stacie couldn't resist ghosting her lips down the side of her neck. She moved back up, her nose resting just behind the blonde's ear. "Do you know how many times I've thought about being this close to you? About touching you?" She trailed a line of kisses down her neck and up to her ear again. "Do you know how hard tonight's been for me, having you this close and not being able to do anything?"

Aubrey stopped dancing and turned around, looking into Stacie's eyes. She held herself up with her hands on the brunette's shoulders and she seemed to be trying to figure something out. "You really like me, don't you?"

Stacie's brow furrowed. She figured Aubrey wouldn't remember this so it didn't matter if she told her the truth. "Yes, I do."

Aubrey smiled and kissed her cheek. She rested her head on Stacie's shoulder, one of her hands moving to her back and the other one playing with a strand of hair on her other shoulder. "I really like you too."

They stayed like that for a while, not caring that the music wasn't exactly made for slow dancing. They were interrupted by Amy's voice. "Hey, weirdos, when you're done waltzing you might wanna come to the table. We're getting a bunch of flaming shots, you'll miss the fireworks."

Aubrey straightened up and smiled excitedly. Stacie tightened her arms around Aubrey. "We'll go but you can't drink."

"I won't." Aubrey shook her head.

"Promise?"

Aubrey smirked and ran a finger down Stacie's neck humming, when she got to the bottom of her neck, she continued down the edge of her dress. The brunette's breath hitched in her throat and her arms loosed up a little, allowing Aubrey to move back and run back to the table. "No promises!"

Stacie narrowed her eyes and ran after Aubrey, catching up to her just as she was getting to the table and wrapping her arms around her from behind. She lifted her up for a second, making her squeal. "That wasn't fair!"

She pulled her back and rested her head on her shoulder. Aubrey started to feel herself sobering up and, as much as she wanted to kiss Stacie, she didn't want to start over-analyzing what was happening, so as soon as the shots' flames died down, she reached forward despite Stacie's protests and grabbed a glass, clinking it with the rest of the girls and drinking it.

Almost immediately she went back to her clouded state of mind and turned to face Stacie. "Let's dance more!"

Stacie grabbed Aubrey's wrist and pulled her back shaking her head. "I agreed to dance because you said you'd stop drinking if I did. You just drank again so I'm gonna stay here."

Aubrey crossed her arms and pouted. "I don't wanna dance if you're not coming."

"Then you can stay here with me."

Stacie sat down and crossed her arms. The rest of the girls went off to the dancefloor and Aubrey looked between them and Stacie. She huffed and sat down next to the brunette. Stacie kept her arms crossed. She didn't understand why Aubrey kept drinking when she'd told her that the only thing keeping them from kissing was the fact that she was drunk. She started to think that Aubrey wasn't doing this because she liked her, but instead because she thought she was easy and wouldn't mind.

Stacie did mind. She liked sex, maybe more than an average person, which meant that people saw her as kind of a slut; but when she liked someone, really liked them the way she liked Aubrey, it wasn't about the sex. So if Aubrey wanted to just play with her and then dismiss her like nothing had happened, then she could go find someone else.

"Stace." Aubrey was looking at her, her bottom lip jutting out slightly and it took all of Stacie's self control not to turn to look at her. Aubrey ran her finger along Stacie's forearm and frowned when she still refused to turn. "Stacie."

Stacie rolled her eyes and looked at her. "What is it, Aubrey?"

"Are you mad because I had that shot?"

"I'm not your mom, Aubrey, you can do whatever you want." Stacie shrugged Aubrey's hand off her arm and scooted away from her but Aubrey moved after her and put her head on Stacie's shoulder.

Aubrey nuzzled Stacie's cheek until she got her to smile. "There's the smile I love."

"You love my smile?" Stacie turned to look at Aubrey, their noses almost touching.

Aubrey reached up and ran her finger down her cheek. "Yeah, I love how easy it is for you to smile and how genuine it looks. Making you smile is one of my favorite things."

Stacie's smile widened and Aubrey traced her lips. Stacie uncrossed her arms and placed them around the blonde. "What else do you love about me?"

Aubrey smiled and ran her finger down Stacie's nose. "I love your laugh, even though it's ridiculous."

"My laugh is not ridiculous!"

Aubrey laughed. "It is a little, but it's cute." Stacie pouted and Aubrey kissed her nose. "I love it when you wear your glasses."

Stacie frowned. "I've never worn my glasses to rehearsal."

Aubrey blushed and looked down. "I saw you at the library once. I was gonna say hi but you looked really focused and I didn't wanna interrupt."

Stacie chuckled. "So you just stared at me like a creeper?"

"I didn't stare, I just looked." Aubrey rested her head on Stacie's shoulder. "I like looking at you."

Stacie tightened her arms around her and put her chin on top of the blonde's head. "I like looking at you too."

"Stace?" Stacie hummed. "Can we dance now?"

Stacie rolled her eyes and let go of her. "Yes."

They had been dancing for a while, Stacie had tried to keep a little bit more distance from Aubrey, when Chloe bumped into them drunkenly. "Stace, can you take Bree home? I'm staying with Beca and we're leaving now." Stacie looked at Aubrey and then back at Chloe. "Thanks, you're the best."

Chloe turned and left before she could protest. Stacie stood there gaping for a bit until Aubrey threw herself at her, wrapping her arms around her neck. "Are we leaving now?"

Stacie looked around but she couldn't spot any of the other Bellas. She knew how risky taking Aubrey in this state could be so she preferred someone else did it, or at least someone went with them. She sighed and looked at the blonde in her arms. "Yes, we're leaving now."

Aubrey was starting to get sleepy so Stacie had to hold her while she looked for a cab. As soon as they got inside, Aubrey put her head on Stacie's lap. Stacie smiled and ran her fingers through her hair. Aubrey let out a contented sigh and started tracing patterns on Stacie's legs. "Your legs are so soft."

Stacie was distracted and didn't notice the blonde move her head. When she felt Aubrey's lips next to her knee she jumped and pulled her up from her lap. "Whoa, Aubrey, what are you doing?"

Aubrey shrugged like it was completely normal to kiss someone's thigh. "I just wanted to feel your skin."

"Yeah, well right now's not the best time to be feeling my skin with your lips." Stacie whispered so the driver couldn't hear her.

Aubrey tilted her head. "Are you sure?" Stacie hesitated and Aubrey smiled leaning down and pressing her lips to her neck. Stacie groaned and tilted her head to the side. "Cause it seems like the best time to me. But if you want me to stop, I'll stop."

Stacie opened her mouth but no sound came out. Aubrey moved up her neck and took Stacie's earlobe into her mouth, flicking it with her tongue. "I thought you were tired."

Aubrey kissed down her jaw and shrugged. "I'm not anymore."

Stacie lifted her head and shut her mouth tight, she kept her hands in fists next to her legs. Being this late there wasn't a lot of traffic back to Aubrey's apartment and soon the cab stopped next to the building's door. Stacie let out a loud breath and opened the door, throwing some bills at the driver without looking, knowing she was probably paying a lot more than she had to.

Stacie stopped on the sidewalk and tried to normalize her breathing and heartrate while she waited for Aubrey to get out. She helped Aubrey up the stairs and took her purse after five minutes of Aubrey shuffling around inside it looking for the key. She glared at her when she found it in an entirely separate compartment.

Aubrey walked into her apartment, dragging Stacie along by the hand. When she reached her bedroom she turned around and leaned against the door. She ran a finger over the strap of Stacie's dress and looked up at her. "Are you gonna tuck me in?"

Stacie rolled her eyes and chuckled. "I'm just gonna make sure you get to your bed safely and then I'm gonna go sleep in Chloe's room."

"You can sleep with me."

Stacie shook her head and opened her door. "I don't think so, drunky." She ushered her to bed and sat her on the edge. "Where are your sleeping clothes."

"I don't need sleeping clothes!" She started pulling at her shirt clumsily.

Stacie grabbed her wrists. "Bree…"

Aubrey huffed defeated. "Second dresser drawer."

Stacie took out a pair of sleeping shorts and a tank top and threw them on the bed. "Change while I go get you a glass of water, you're gonna need it in the morning."

Aubrey nodded. Stacie walked out of the room and closed the door, leaning on it and letting out a heavy sigh. This had been one of the hardest nights of her life. She walked to the kitchen and took her time filling up a glass to ensure Aubrey had time to change by the time she got back. She knocked on the door and waited. After not getting a response when she knocked again she pushed the door open a crack and looked inside. Aubrey was already asleep on top of the covers.

Stacie smiled and walked in, placing the glass on the bedside table. She brushed a strand of hair away from Aubrey's face and kissed her forehead. She was about to turn the light off when she saw a large envelope with Columbia's emblem on the desk next to the door. She frowned and looked back at Aubrey, she hadn't mentioned anything about going to Columbia after the summer. She shook her head sadly and turned off the light before walking out of the room.

* * *

 **A/N: I had most of this written when I posted the first chapter yesterday but it was getting too long so I decided to split it. Now, I don't have any of the next part written yet, and this seems to be working for ACamp-toner so maybe if you guys review I'll write faster? She says it's science.**


	3. Chapter 3

Aubrey opened her eyes and immediately closed them with a groan. Even though her shades were closed, her room was way too bright. She opened her eyes a small fraction, shading them with her hand until they got used to the brightness. Her throat was completely dry and her head was pounding. She turned around and felt as if her brain was colliding with her skull. She let out another groan and pressed the heel of her hands against her eyelids. When she dropped her hands, she spotted the glass of water and silently thanked whoever had the forethought to leave it there for her.

A pleasant smell wafted in from the kitchen and she could hear the distinctive sound of something sizzling. She figured Chloe was already up and was making breakfast. Her stomach didn't really feel like it could take food right now but it would probably help with her current state. She stumbled out of bed and went into her bathroom to get a couple of aspirin before she made her way to the kitchen. It was a lot more brighter here, so she kept her eyes half closed and a hand on her temple, and half blindly made her way to one of the stools around the kitchen island. She dropped her head on the cold surface and groaned.

Stacie turned around from the stove holding a spatula and half smiled at the blonde. She was expecting something like this, which is why she had stayed to make breakfast for her. "Morning."

Aubrey's head whipped up at the sound of the unexpected voice and immediately regretted it. She closed her eyes again and whimpered. Stacie chuckled and placed a plate of eggs and bacon in front of her. "Eat, it'll help."

Aubrey took the fork and started taking small bites. Stacie pushed a plate of toast closer to her, she grabbed one and took a bite. She looked up at the brunette, she had turned around again and was frying more bacon. She didn't remember if anything had happened between them, everything after she finished the drink Chloe got for her was blurry. She remembered bits and pieces: music, laughing, arms holding her, but not enough to know anything useful. She looked at Stacie's outfit, she was wearing a pair of sweatpants that looked a little short for her and a Barden hoodie that she was sure was Chloe's.

Considering she had woken up alone and fully dressed, she deduced nothing had happened. Stacie probably just brought her home and slept over. She didn't understand why Chloe hadn't been the one to bring her home but she'd ask Chloe later. She took another couple of bites and took a drink from the glass of orange juice Stacie had put next to her plate. "I didn't know we had bacon."

Stacie turned around for a second then focused back on the food. "You didn't, I went to the store before you got up. Grease is good for hangovers."

Aubrey quirked an eyebrow at Stacie's tone, she didn't sound like herself. Her voice was always warm, especially when she talked to Aubrey, but there was a cold edge to her tone today. It was even more confusing given that she was standing in her kitchen cooking breakfast for her. "Chloe stayed at Beca's and I didn't want you waking up alone. Considering how much you had to drink last night, I figured you'd wake up feeling like shit."

Aubrey smiled up at her. "Thanks, Stace."

Stacie shrugged like it wasn't a big deal, and sat across from Aubrey to eat her own breakfast. Aubrey looked down at her own plate and continued eating. Stacie took advantage of this and studied her. Aside from the fact that she looked as bad as she probably felt, she was pretty much back to her old self. It didn't look like she remembered anything from last night, which was probably for the best. Stacie just wanted to erase last night. If she could only forget it happened, she just had to wait for Aubrey to leave and move on.

She finished eating and took her plate to the sink. She started clearing up the counter and the pans she had used. Aubrey looked up when she heard the clatter of pans. "You don't have to clean up, I'll do it later."

Stacie left the pans in the sink and nodded. She wiped her hands and faced Aubrey, aware of the awkwardness between them. She pointed at the door and then ran her hand through her hair. "I have stuff. Can you tell Chloe I'll bring back her clothes tomorrow?"

"Oh." Aubrey frowned slightly. "Yeah, sure, I'll tell her."

Stacie was halfway out when Aubrey calling her name softly stopped her. She didn't turn around but she waited for Aubrey to continue. "Thanks for everything."

She threw a small smile over her shoulder. "It was nothing."

* * *

Stacie hesitated before she knocked on the door. She should've called before she came to make sure Chloe was in but it was too late now. She knocked on the door and waited. She lifted her hand to knock again when the door opened.

Aubrey smiled when she saw who it was. "Stace! Hi."

"Hey, umm…" Stacie looked over her shoulder trying to spot Chloe. "I brought Chloe's clothes."

Aubrey frowned. Stacie still sounded distant and she didn't understand why. She hadn't had a chance to speak to Chloe yet, the redhead had only come back to get clothes and went back to Beca's. "Chloe isn't here but you can leave them in her room."

"Oh, okay." Stacie stepped inside and followed Aubrey to Chloe's room. She put the clothes on Chloe's bed and turned to leave.

"Stace?" Stacie turned to face her with a blank expression. Aubrey wasn't sure what she was going to say, she just wanted Stacie to stay. She said the first thing that came to her head. "Do you want something to drink?"

Stacie fidgeted for a second. "I have a thing, sorry." She waved halfheartedly and walked to the door.

Aubrey frowned at the closed door. She didn't understand what Stacie's problem was but she needed to find out. She'd have to wait for Chloe to come back again to ask her what she did the other night. It must have been something bad for Stacie to be acting this way.

She didn't want to wait until Chloe decided to come back to see Stacie again though. She doubted she'd want to do anything with her right now, so she had to plan something with the whole group. She'd just received the video of their nationals performance, maybe she could invite the girls over to watch it that night. She sent a mass text to the Bellas asking them to come over that evening to watch the video and spent the rest of the afternoon getting snacks and getting the apartment ready.

Aubrey heard the door open and she went out of the kitchen so she could talk to Chloe. "Chlo, you're back!" She saw Chloe come in laughing and Beca following shortly after her. "Oh, and you brought her."

"Hello to you too, Aubrey." Beca stuck her tongue out at her.

"Sorry, Beca, hi." Aubrey smiled at her weakly. "I just really need to talk to Chloe."

"Is it about Stacie? Because yeah, you need to talk to her about it." Beca said as she walked around her to get to the living room.

Aubrey pulled the hood of Beca's hoodie to bring her back. "What do you know about Stacie? Did she say something?"

"Dude, let go." Aubrey dropped the hood and Beca stumbled forward. "She didn't say anything, we were all there."

"There where?" Aubrey looked at her confused.

Chloe gasped, clasping her hands over her mouth. "You don't remember!"

"Remember what? What happened?" Aubrey waved her arms and stomped her foot making Beca flinch.

There was a knock on the door and Chloe looked between Aubrey and the door uncertainly. She opened her mouth when there was a louder knock and Amy bellowed from the other side. "Bitches, open up, I gotta pee!"

Aubrey nodded and Chloe went to the door. Fat Amy ran to the bathroom, almost knocking over Beca on the way. The rest of the girls entered behind her and Aubrey sighed. She'd have to wait to talk to Chloe until after they were gone.

They went into the living room where snacks and drinks were already laid out. Aubrey had gotten all of Stacie's favorites, but the brunette just sat on the corner of the couch seemingly uninterested in eating any of it. CR was already sitting next to Stacie so Aubrey sat next to Beca and Chloe on the loveseat. They waited for Amy to come back from the bathroom and started the video.

Stacie noticed Aubrey kept looking at her from the moment she walked in the door. She had waited for the rest of the girls to pick their seats so there was no possibility for Aubrey to sit next to her. She didn't think she could take being so close to her right now when half of her brain wanted to yell at her for not telling her she was leaving and the other half wanted to push her against a wall and kiss her.

She noticed the snacks on the table were all things she liked and wondered if Aubrey had done that on purpose. She saw Aubrey sit down next to Chloe and Beca. Aubrey turned to look at her and gave her a small smile that made Stacie's heart ache. She had a flashback to the other night, Aubrey's lips on her neck, fingers running along her thigh. She shook her head to erase the memory and pulled her feet up on the couch, hugging her knees to her chest.

When Amy came back from the bathroom, they started the video. All the girls were really excited about it and kept commenting, but Stacie just looked at Aubrey. She considered just having sex with her before she left but dismissed it, she wanted more and she'd only end up getting more hurt. With a capella season done, this was probably the last time she'd see Aubrey. They had run out of excuses to get together, they didn't just hang out, and she doubted they would start now.

Stacie looked back at the TV just as the performance was ending. With the adrenalin of that moment she didn't really register it, but she had been the first person Aubrey had hugged when they finished. She turned to Aubrey and found she was looking at her. She could see Aubrey was trying to figure out what she was thinking. When the blonde opened her mouth to say something, Stacie panicked and stood up. "I just remembered I'm meeting someone tonight, so I have to go."

Stacie didn't miss the disappointed look on Aubrey's face, but she couldn't care about that now. She needed to get as far away from her as she could before she did something she'd regret.

* * *

Aubrey picked up the last of the plastic cups and threw it in the trash bag she was carrying. The rest of the girls had stayed a lot longer. They still had plenty of alcohol left from the party, and when Amy found it, she had started mixing drinks for everyone. Aubrey hadn't even finished her first drink, she'd had enough drunkenness for a while and that had only caused more trouble than it was worth.

She kept thinking about the way Stacie ran out. She was almost sure she had made up the thing about meeting someone, but maybe she did have a date. Aubrey's stomach clenched at the thought. She knew she had no right to feel bad about Stacie going out with other people when she'd turned her down more than once, but she couldn't help it.

She looked up when she heard the front door close and Chloe walking back in. "I thought you were staying with Beca again."

"I just walked her back, I've had enough of her." Chloe smirked at her and Aubrey smiled knowing she had stayed for her. "You said you wanted to talk?"

Aubrey nodded and sat on the couch. "What happened the other night?"

Chloe sat facing her. "Okay, what's the last thing you remember?"

Aubrey scrunched up her face and thought back to her last clear memory. "You handed me a drink and then I brought Stacie here to sit and I was playing with her hand."

"Whoa, that was at the beginning of the night. Were you drinking before I gave you that drink?"

"Maybe I had a couple of shots?" She twisted her lower lip. "I just needed to be drunk enough to make a move on Stacie."

"Oh you did, you were all over her. She almost cried trying to hold back." Aubrey blushed. "You really don't remember anything, the cab ride to the club, dancing with Stacie?"

Aubrey shook her head. "I remember bits and pieces but nothing concrete. And it all feels like a dream, I don't know what really happened and what didn't."

"Have you talked to her about it?"

Aubrey shook her head again. "No, she doesn't want to talk to me, she barely even looks at me."

Chloe looked at her with her head tilted to the side. "Do you like her?"

"Of course, I wouldn't have done that if I didn't."

Chloe shook her head. "No, but do you really like her? Do you want to go out with her?"

Aubrey opened and closed her mouth, then looked down sadly. "It doesn't matter, Chloe, I'm leaving."

Chloe put her hand on Aubrey's arm. "It does." Chloe gave her arm a little squeeze. "You have to talk to her either way, I don't know what the poor girl must be thinking after the way you've been acting."

Aubrey nodded. "I'll look for her tomorrow."

* * *

Aubrey couldn't sleep. She had been tossing and turning since she went to bed. She rolled over to her side again and stared at the door. She had been trying to remember anything from the other night but it was still fuzzy. She remembered holding Stacie's hand and then asking her for a drink. She sort of remembered a cab ride. She tried to focus on that memory, filling in the blanks with the details Chloe gave her. " _Aubrey, please."_

Aubrey's eyes snapped open. She remembered Stacie's voice clearly and she remembered what she did next. She remembered the feeling of Stacie's neck under her lips and the soft skin of her thigh under her fingers. Aubrey let out a ragged breath and turned to her back.

She tried to do the same to remember dancing with Stacie. She focused on the one thing she remembered: Stacie's hands on her hips. She closed her eyes and thought about the music, the movement, she could feel Stacie's breath on her neck, her lips moving down the side. She bit her lip and tried to remember more. She could feel the pressure of Stacie's hand on her stomach. Stacie said something but she couldn't focus on the words.

She opened her eyes. She took a deep breath and tried again, closing her eyes and willing her mind to remember. She could see Stacie's face. She was smiling and her eyes were so dark she could only see a sliver of green. She remembered asking her if she really liked her, and the look on Stacie's face as thought it over, but the answer itself wasn't there.

Aubrey let out a frustrated groan and looked at the clock. It was almost 4 am. She sighed and turned around again, trying to remember had tired her and she could feel herself finally falling asleep.

By the time Aubrey woke up it was already mid morning. She got ready quickly and made her way to Stacie's dorm room. She hadn't been here since she picked the brunette up before Bella initiation. Back then, she'd only been that hot girl who touched herself too much when she sang. Now, she was the girl who occupied her thoughts most of the time.

She knocked on the door and waited. She couldn't hear anything coming from inside. She knocked again but she still didn't get a response. She frowned. She should have called first but she didn't want Stacie to have time to come up with an excuse to not talk to her.

Maybe Stacie did have a date last night and she stayed over with whoever she went out with. Aubrey turned and leaned on the door, sliding down to the floor. She needed to talk to Stacie but she didn't think she wanted see her right after she'd slept with someone else.

Aubrey closed her eyes and focused on the memory of Stacie's lips on her neck when they were dancing. She wanted to think that the person who did that three days ago wouldn't just sleep with some random person so soon. If she didn't care about her, she would've tried to sleep with her when she was drunk. She had to care.

She pulled her knees up and rested her chin on them. She considered coming back later but she didn't want to risk missing Stacie. She could be waiting here for a long time though, and she'd just had a granola bar for breakfast. Maybe she could go get something to eat and then come back, there was probably a vending machine somewhere in this building. She scrunched up her nose at the thought of having to eat something from a vending machine.

She crossed her arms over her knees and pressed her cheek there. She started running their nationals routine in her head to pass the time but her mind kept focusing on Stacie's part so she stopped. She started humming to herself, she didn't really have a particular song in mind, she just needed something to pass the time.

Something about the song she was humming tripped something in her head. It was the song that had been on at the club when she and Stacie had started dancing. She continued humming the song and suddenly it all came back to her. Stacie pressing her lips to her neck and then pulling back when Aubrey tried to kiss her, telling her that she wanted her to remember their first kiss and promising it would be worth the wait, pulling her closer as they continued to dance, telling her how hard it was having her close and not being able to do anything, her eyes when she said she liked her.

Aubrey was confused. If Stacie liked her then something must have happened after that to make her act the way she had been acting since the morning after. Aubrey tried to remember what happened after they danced, but it all got blurry again, she must have had more to drink.

"Umm, hi. Did you need something?"

Aubrey jumped to her feet, startled. She was so concentrated on trying to remember that she hadn't heard Stacie approaching. She was wearing a pair of tight running pants and a bright pink sports top and Aubrey had to force herself to look up.

"Hey, hi." Under any other circumstance, Stacie would have smirked at the clear effect she was having on Aubrey but she just arched an eyebrow waiting for an explanation. "I knocked and you weren't here so I decided to wait."

"Yeah, I went out for a run. Why are you here?"

Aubrey sighed. It looked like Stacie wasn't going to make things easier for her. "We need to talk."

"About?" Stacie shook her head like she had no idea why Aubrey would want to talk to her and it was exasperating the blonde.

"Really, Stacie, you have no idea what I could possibly want to talk about with you?" Stacie shrugged and rolled her eyes. Aubrey groaned. "Why do you have to be so stubborn?"

Stacie scoffed. "Excuse me, Miss we've been singing the same songs since the 90s because we don't stray from tradition." Aubrey glared at her. "Look, I wanna take a shower. If you're gonna talk, talk."

"No!"

"No?" Stacie frowned. "Okay… Can you move so I can get into my room, then?"

"No, Stacie, you're not gonna rush me. We're gonna talk and you're gonna listen and it's gonna take however long it takes. I don't know what your problem is but I'm tired of you acting like this!" Aubrey crossed her arms and stood her ground.

Stacie looked at her amused which confused Aubrey. "Alright. Do you wanna come in or are you gonna keep yelling in the hallway?"

"I wasn't yelling." Aubrey looked around. No one was there but she still didn't think doing this out here was a good idea. "But yeah, I guess we should go inside."

Stacie opened the door to her room and walked to her bed. She sat down and looked at her feet. Aubrey stood awkwardly in front of her. She wrapped her arms around herself unsure of what she was going to say. She had a speech prepared, but that was before she remembered what Stacie had said when they were dancing, and before she knew Stacie was going to be so difficult. "Why are you being like this?"

Stacie looked up at her blankly. "Like what."

"Like this." Aubrey waved her arms in front of her. "Like I'm a stranger or something."

Stacie shrugged. "Why do you even care?"

"Oh my god, Stacie. Because I like you and apparently I did something to screw it up because you can barely look at me!" They stared at each other. Aubrey waited for Stacie to say something. Stacie bit her lip and looked back down. Aubrey crouched down in front of her and placed her hands on Stacie's knees. "Stace, please, tell me what I did so I can fix it."

Stacie looked at Aubrey's hands and didn't say anything. Just when Aubrey thought she wasn't going to speak, she looked up at her. "You're leaving." Aubrey opened her mouth but Stacie shook her head. "I can't look at you, I can't let you in, because I know that if I do I'm going to end up falling in love with you and you're leaving."

Aubrey stood up and sat next to Stacie. "How did you find out?"

"I saw the envelope on your desk when I went in to leave the glass of water." She looked at Aubrey. She saw Stacie's eyes filling up with tears. "I'm happy for you, but I can't be your just for now thing."

Aubrey lifted her hand and hesitated. She wanted to wipe Stacie's tears but she didn't know if she should. "Stace, I…" She made up her mind and cupped her cheek, her thumb brushing away the tears on her cheek. "I don't want something just for now."

Stacie furrowed her brow confused. Aubrey lifted her other hand and wiped Stacie's other cheek. "You said you couldn't let me in because you'd fall in love with me, well, it's too late for me."

Stacie's eyes widened. "Umm."

"Are you freaking out?" Aubrey chuckled. "Don't freak out."

Stacie shook her head but her eyes were still wide and her mouth was clamped shut. Aubrey brushed a couple of stray hairs away from her face. "I love you and I want to give this a shot."

"We haven't even been on a date, how can you know that you…?"

"That I love you?" Stacie nodded. "I don't know, I just do. I don't know how it happened or when it happened but I realized it just now. And you don't have to say anything, I just want to take you out on a date and see where this goes."

"Okay." Stacie smiled at her.

Aubrey smiled back and moved one of her hands from Stacie's cheek to her neck, moving her fingers along the back. "I remembered something about the other night."

"Oh, yeah?" Stacie smirked.

"Mhm." She leaned closer to Stacie. "You promised our first kiss would be worth the wait."

"Oh, I did. I forgot about that."

Aubrey kept moving closer, her nose brushed Stacie's and the brunette's breath caught in her throat. "Well?"

Stacie moved a hand to the back of Aubrey's neck and closed the remaining distance between their lips. She started out slowly, feeling Aubrey's lips against hers a few times before opening her mouth slightly and taking Aubrey's bottom lip between her own, sucking gently and running her teeth over it. Aubrey groaned and moved closer, her tongue exploring the inside of Stacie's mouth. They continued kissing until they were both out of breath and broke apart panting.

Stacie smiled at Aubrey's flushed face. "Was it worth the wait?"

Aubrey smiled back. "Totally."

* * *

 **A/N: I hope you liked this. Thanks to the people who reviewed/favorited/followed! :)**


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